A global organisation that finds solutions to complex humanitarian problems through research and innovation..
Our purpose is clear: we work in partnership with a global community of humanitarian actors, researchers and innovators to improve the quality of humanitarian action and deliver better outcomes for people affected by crises.
We empower the humanitarian community. Find out how we can support you...
Integrating Local Media and ICTs into Humanitarian Response in CAR
An innovative system that will foster a bounded network of trusted local media organisations to gather real-time first-hand information from affected populations to create a two-way communication flow with humanitarians that improves emergency response, community participation & community resilience.
Share This
WHAT IS THE HUMANITARIAN NEED?
Limited capacity to obtain timely, relevant and up to date, quality information about the local context often undermines humanitarian responses.
A lack of reliable channels for both receiving and communicating critical information to and from affected communities similarly limits the effectiveness of humanitarian aid.
Adequate follow-up, monitoring and evaluation of the impact of humanitarian communication efforts are lagging behind advancements in the application of new technologies to the humanitarian context.
WHAT IS THE INNOVATIVE SOLUTION?
This project applies new technologies, particularly mapping and SMS opportunities, to make better use of crowd-sourced information to understand the local information ecosystem and needs, improve two-way communication channels, and link local and international institutions to the local media, all while mitigating the risk of data fragmentation by creating a new channel through which existing systems may ‘speak to’ and enhance each other.
This new media and communications system will increase the efficiency, transparency and accountability of humanitarian relief efforts and increase community resilience by leveraging the relationship that local media have with their communities while being strengthened in this task by technological solutions.
CAR presents the humanitarian community with a range of complex and protracted emergencies where access to and the sharing of information with affected communities is essential. On a day-to-day basis, refugees and IDPs need to understand the support and assistance available to them, and to be able to hold the actors responsible for their safety and well being to account. With the passage of time, refugees also need channels by which to understand the emerging situations in their home countries. Meanwhile in an area as volatile as south-eastern CAR, the humanitarian sector can struggle to access accurate information on the current scale and patterns of LRA attacks; this in turn can hamper their response and access to preventative information for the community.
WHAT ARE THE EXPECTED OUTCOMES?
Create a sustainable emergency preparedness and response mechanism that will connect local media, humanitarians and affected populations through a tangible and sustainable two-way communication channel in the context of a protracted and complex emergency, by:
Improve relationships between affected communities and humanitarians by creating opportunities for communities to become an active part of an innovative, coherent, user-friendly, high-impact communication system.
Equip humanitarian actors with a meaningful data stream that allows them to improve the quality and timeliness of operational response.
Latest Updates
To sum up!
21 Nov 2012
Tech works, humanitarians need to communicate two-ways, journalists need more support, and donors must be more innovative.
In some cases, lack of communication stems neither from a lack of will nor a desire to pass a message by saying nothing. Instead, it can simply be the result of a lack of means.
Since our initial baseline report on perceptions of the media environment and relations between communities, journalists, and humanitarians, Internews’ monitoring and evaluation work in Central African Republic (CAR) has been focusing on rapid population surveys
Crisis Map CAR enables bidirectional information sharing between local communities and humanitarian actors through SMS, crisis mapping and more important and accessible to the, community radio stations, the only source and information for many people around the country.
Radio Zereda: A Voice for LRA Affected Communities in Obo
11 May 2012
Radio Zereda (Zereda means “Peace” in the local language Zandé), is one of Internews’ community radio partners. It actively contributes to our brand new Humanitarian Crisis Map by sending on a daily basis relevant and verified humanitarian and human rights information.
Getting the local media and tech components right!
09 Mar 2012
For the last 3-4 weeks the entire Internews tech team involved in the project in CAR has been discussing and refining the design of the information system behind the project.
Putting local media at the core of innovation in CAR
02 Feb 2012
In times of crises, conflict and emergency, access to reliable, accurate and well-targeted information can save lives. Communication is aid, and failing to act on this principle and provide resources accordingly means that humanitarian actors neglect people’s right to access information, ask questions, and participate in their own relief and recovery.
You are seeing this because you are using a browser that is not supported. The Elrha website is built using modern technology and standards. We recommend upgrading your browser with one of the following to properly view our website:
Please note that this is not an exhaustive list of browsers. We also do not intend to recommend a particular manufacturer's browser over another's; only to suggest upgrading to a browser version that is compliant with current standards to give you the best and most secure browsing experience.
